ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Prime Minister's Office
PM to unveil several development projects in Greater Noida tomorrow
Noida City Centre–Noida Electronic City Section of Metro to be inaugurated
Foundation Stone of Khurja and Buxar Power Plants to be laid through video link by PM
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will visit Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh tomorrow on 9th March 2019. He will launch various development projects at Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute of Archaeology in Greater Noida.
The Prime Minister will unveil plaque to mark the inauguration of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute of Archaeology. He will unveil the statue of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya at the campus. Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Institute of Archaeology is under Archaeological Survey of India  and is located at Knowledge Park-II, Greater Noida.
PM will inaugurate Noida City Centre – Noida Electronic City Section of the Metro. The new section will provide a convenient and faster mode of transport for the residents of Noida. It will also decongest the roads and provide an environment friendly mode of transport. The 6.6km long section is an extension of Delhi Metro’s Blue Line.
The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of two thermal Power Plants. One of them is 1320 MW Super Thermal Power Project at Khurja, in District Bulandshahar of Uttar Pradesh. The Khurja Super Thermal Power Project will be based on Supercritical Technology with two units of capacity 660 MW each, equipped with latest emission control technology to protect the environment; has high efficiency and uses less fuel to generate power. The Khurja plant will transform the power deficit situation of Northern Region, particularly Uttar Pradesh and will benefit states like Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. The project is expected to generate substantial direct and indirect employment and overall development of District Bulandshahr and nearby districts of Western Uttar Pradesh.
The second one is the 1320 MW Thermal Power Plant at Buxar in Bihar. The Buxar thermal Power plant will be launched through video link. The Buxar Thermal Power Plant will be based on Supercritical Technology with two units of 660 MW each, equipped with latest emission control technology to protect the environment and has high efficiency. The Buxar plant will transform the power deficit situation in Bihar and the Eastern region.
The Prime Minister will later address a gathering.
Ministry of Defence
LIGHT COMBAT AIRCRAFT TEJAS COMPLETES
SEVEN YEARS OF SERVICE IN INDIAN AIR FORCE
On 01 July 2023, the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft  will complete seven years of service in the Indian Air Force. Christened Tejas in 2003, the aircraft is a multi- role platform that ranks amongst the best in its class. It has been designed to undertake the Air Defence, Maritime Reconnaissance and Strike roles. The inherently unstable Tejas offers carefree handling and enhanced manoeuvrability. This capability is further enhanced with its Multi-Mode Airborne radar, Helmet Mounted Display, Self-protection suite and Laser Designation Pod.
The first IAF Squadron to induct the Tejas was No 45 Squadron, the 'Flying Daggers'. Over the years, the squadron progressed from Vampires to Gnats and then onto the MiG-21 Bis, before being equipped with its current steed. Each of the aircraft flown by the Flying Daggers has been manufactured in India - either under license production or having been designed and developed in India. In May 2020, No 18 Squadron became the second IAF unit to operate the Tejas.
The IAF has showcased India's indigenous aerospace capabilities by displaying the aircraft at various international events, including LIMA-2019 at Malaysia, Dubai Air Show-2021, Sri Lanka Air Force anniversary celebrations in 2021, Singapore Air Show- 2022 and Aero India Shows from 2017 to 2023. Whilst it had already participated in exercises with foreign air forces domestically, Ex-Desert Flag in the United Arab Emirates in March 2023 was the Tejas' maiden exercise on foreign soil.
The confidence that the IAF reposes in the Tejas is borne by its order for 83 LCA Mk-1A which will have updated avionics, as well as an Active Electronically Steered Radar, updated Electronic Warfare suite and a Beyond Visual Range missile capability. The new variant will be capable of firing a plethora of weapons from increased stand-off ranges. Many of these weapons will be of indigenous origin. The LCA MK-1A will see a substantial increase in the overall indigenous content of the aircraft. Contracted deliveries of the aircraft are expected to commence in February 2024. In the years to come, the LCA and its future variants will form the mainstay of the Indian Air Force.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
“Botanic Garden will be Developed as one of the Most Distinct Gardens with Modern-Day Landscape”: Dr. Harsh Vardhan
“Garden will Become Fountain Head of Knowledge for Youth and Students”: Dr. Mahesh Sharma
Foundation Stone Laid for Development and Upgradation of Botanic Garden, Noida
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has said that the Botanic Garden of Indian Republic  Noida, will be developed as one of the most distinct botanic gardens with modern-day landscape. Speaking at the foundation-stone laying ceremony of the development and upgradation of the Botanic Garden at Noida yesterday, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that the Garden is being developed and upgraded with the objectives of collection of plant species, research, training, environment education, public awareness, aesthetics and entertainment through the protection of plant biodiversity. He added that this is also being done with a view to make the Botanic Garden, Noida, a centre of excellence in the preservation of  and local plant species. Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that another objective is the creation of public awareness through education on plant biodiversity and its need.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State, MoEF&CC, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, said that this is the largest Botanic Garden project in Delhi-NCR, which will become a fountain head of knowledge for a large number of youth and students. Dr. Sharma said that the creation of a virtual museum on the Garden’s premises will also provide the youth of the nation information on botany and the endangered plant species will also get protected. He pointed out that it is estimated that the ambitious project will cost around Rs. 400 crore. “The cost of the first phase will be completed by 2018”, Dr. Sharma stated. He reiterated the pledge to complete this projectin a time-bound manner, though the project has been delayed for almost 20 years. “This garden will be developed as an important tourist spot in the Delhi-NCR region”, Dr. Sharma said.
Protection of plant biodiversity and natural resources is the need of the hour in the present-day context of climate change. In order to meet this objective, the Botanical Garden of India Republic  project was started, which could help preserve the endangered vegetation in the country. The landscape of this park, spread over 163.5 acres, will be transformed. A gene bank, seed bank, herbarium unit, orchid house, cactus house, nursery, plant biodiversity, research facility, education and maintenance will be developed in the Botanic Garden.
Uttar Pradesh Minister Shri Dara Singh Chouhan and local MLA, Shri Pankaj Singh were among others present at the foundation-stone laying ceremony.
Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Government to set up National Company Law Appellate Tribunal Bench in Chennai
In pursuance of judgement of Hon’ble Supreme Court, the Government has decided to set up a bench of National Company Law Appellate Tribunal  at Chennai.
This was stated by Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister for State for Finance & Corporate Affairs, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
Benches of National Company Law Tribunal  are set up in various States depending on the case load and other relevant factors. Considering the heavy case load at some existing benches, additional members have been appointed and additional courts have been operationalised from time to time.
The Minister further stated that the Government is taking all steps to strengthen the NCLT and NCLAT in terms of number of benches, number of courts and number of members, to reduce the pendency. Apart from decision to set up NCLAT bench at Chennai, five new benches of NCLT have been set up during 2018-2019 at Jaipur, Cuttack, Kochi, Indore and Amaravati. The Government has recently appointed 28 more members in NCLT and 4 more members in NCLAT. For capacity building of members, regular colloquiums are being held. e-Court project has also been implemented in a few benches with heavy case load.
Ministry of Jal Shakti
NITI Aayog Report on Water Crisis
The report titled “Composite Water Management Index”, published by NITI Aayog in June 2018, mentions that India is undergoing the worst water crisis in its history and nearly 600 million people are facing high to extreme water stress. The report further mentions that India is placed at 120th amongst 122 countries in the water quality index, with nearly 70% of water being contaminated.
As per the 5th Minor Irrigation Census  conducted by Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation , there are 20.52 million wells in the country, which includes dug wells, shallow tube wells, medium tube wells and deep tube wells. On the other hand, NITI Aayog figures include only shallow, medium and deep tube wells and do not include dug wells.
This information was given by Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti & Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Defence
BRO achieves rare feat; Zoji La Pass opened for traffic on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh road after just 73 days of its closure
Border Roads Organisation  opened the gateway between Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir - the Zoji La Pass - for traffic on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh road at 11,650 feet on March 19, 2022, setting up an all-time record of the pass being opened after just 73 days of its closure this year. This is the first time BRO has been able to achieve the feat, after it had kept the pass open till January 05, 2022 through relentless snow clearance operations amidst tough weather conditions.
Since February 15, 2022, the snow clearance operations were undertaken from both sides of the pass by Project Beacon and Vijayak, located in J&K and Ladakh respectively. After sustained efforts, the connectivity across Zoji La Pass was initially established on March 04, 2022. Thereafter, efforts were made to improve the road conditions to create safe passage of vehicles. First convoy of vehicles carrying essential fresh supplies moved across the Zoji La Pass and reached Kargil bringing much needed relief to the people of Ladakh. Usually, the Zoji La Pass used to remain closed for around 160-180 days during winters on account of heavy snowfall.
Various dignitaries from civil administration and the Indian Army, including Director General Border Roads  Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry, were present during the re-opening of the pass. Lauding the efforts of Project Beacon and Vijayak, the DGBR said, early opening of Zoji La Pass will not only bolster the defence preparedness of the country, but will also facilitate the movement of essential commodities to the people of Ladakh. He added that the opening of the pass will assist BRO to stock the material required for construction of important infrastructure projects in Ladakh. He reiterated BRO’s commitment to be in the forefront in Nation Building.
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Cabinet
Cabinet approves ex-post facto the agreement between India and Uzbekistan on Cooperation in the field of Combating Transnational Organized Crime and International Terrorism
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given ex-post facto approval on an Agreement between the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Cooperation in the field of Combating Transnational Organized Crime and International Terrorism, that was signed by Union Home Minister and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Republic of Uzbekistan at New Delhi on 20th November, 2019 during the visit of Hon'ble Minister of Internal Affairs of Republic of Uzbekistan to India.
The agreement aims to improve the effectiveness of both countries in prevention and suppression of crimes including crime relating to terrorism and its financing, organized crime and to establish a framework for enhancing cooperation between the officials of intelligence and law-enforcement agencies of the two countries, in line with domestic laws and international obligations.
Special Service and Features
Registration Camp for Broadcasting and Audiovisual Technicians / Cine Workers on e-Shram Portal
Office of the Welfare and Cess Commissioner, Thiruvananthapuram under the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment will organise Registration Camp for Broadcasting and Audiovisual Technicians / Cine Workers on e-Shram Portal tomorrow . Shri Suresh Gopi MP will inaugurate the function to be held at Bharat Bhavan,Thycaud at 10 AM. Dr Ugin Gomez, Welfare and Cess Commissioner, will preside over the event. Broadcasting and Audio Visual Technician / Cine Workers are invited to attend the programme. They will also have the facility to register on the e-Shram portal.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, DG, CSIR announces Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for S&T 2022 during OWOL of CSIR-NIScPR
At the inaugural event of ‘One Week One Lab’ programme of CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication & Policy Research  in New Delhi yesterday, winners of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar  Prize for the year 2022 were announced by Dr. N Kalaiselvi, Secretary, DSIR and Director General, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research  in the presence of the Union Minister of State  Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Space and Atomic Energy, Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also the Vice President, CSIR.
The prestigious SSB Prize for the year 2022 has been awarded to twelve leading scientists in the seven disciplines. Two scientists each have been awarded the prize for Biological, Chemical, Engineering, Mathematical and Physical Sciences respectively. Dr. Ashwani Kumar & Dr. Maddika Subba Reddy in Biological Sciences, Akkattu T Biju & Debabrata Maiti in Chemical Sciences, Dipti Ranjan Sahoo & Rajnish Kumar in Engineering Sciences, Apoorva Khare & Neeraj Kayal in Mathematical Sciences, Anindya Das & Basudeb Dasgupta in Physical Sciences, Vimal Mishra in Earth Sciences and Dipyaman Ganguli in Medical Sciences.
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Dr. Ranjana Aggarwal, Director, CSIR-NIScPR delivered welcome address. Dr. Geethavani Rayasam, Head, CSIR- Human Resource Development Group delivered citations of the SSB Prize winners.
Ministry of Finance
IFSCA becomes member of IOSCO
The International Financial Services Centres Authority  has become an Associate Member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions .
The IOSCO is the international organization that brings together the world's securities regulators, covering more than 95% of the world’s securities markets, and is the global standard setter for the securities sector.
IOSCO works closely with the G20 and the Financial Stability Board  in setting up the standards for strengthening the securities markets. The IOSCO Objectives and Principles of Securities Regulation have been endorsed by FSB as one of the key standards for sound financial systems.
The membership of IOSCO would provide IFSCA the platform to exchange information at the global level and regional level on areas of common interests. Further, the IOSCO platform would enable IFSCA to learn from the experiences and best practices of the regulators of other well established financial centres.
The IOSCO’s membership is a significant milestone in connecting IFSCA with the regulators of securities markets globally and would contribute immensely towards the development and regulation of the financial products, financial services and financial institutions at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City International Financial Services Centre.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Olympian Bajrang Punia takes Prime Minister’s ‘Meet the Champions’ initiative to schools in Panipat, says children have to eat right, exercise, to make India a top nation
Key Highlight
- Bajrang spoke to students about the importance of Santulit Aahaar , Fitness
- The unique initiative is part of the government’s ‘Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ that was kicked off by Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra in Gujarat
Taking Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s unique school visit campaign ahead, Indian wrestler and Tokyo Olympics Bronze Medalist Bajrang Punia on Thursday visited Haryana’s Aarohi Model School in Panipat and met students of 75 schools from four districts.
During the visit, Bajrang spoke to students about the importance of Santulit Aahaar , Fitness and also promoted Indian traditional sports by participating in a game of Kho - Kho with the students. He even showed them some easy-to-do fitness exercises.
Lauding the idea of PM of asking Olympians and Paralympians to visit schools across India and interact with students, Bajrang said, "I am very happy that I have come to this school, it reminds me of my school days because even I come from a village in Haryana and coming back here is like coming back to school."
Speaking to students about the importance of having the right diet and following a fit lifestyle, Bajrang said, "If you want to be mentally and physically strong and see India on the top in any field, you need to eat the right things and exercise at least for half an hour, twice a day."
The unique initiative is part of the government’s ‘Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ that was kicked off by Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra in Gujarat earlier this month.
Bajrang stressed on the need to have homemade food that has essentials like greens, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and urged kids to stay away from junk food. "During my early days of training we were not allowed to even step out of our training center daily, so when we got one chance to step out the first thing we wanted to do was to eat tasty roadside food like chaat and tikki. But that would be once in many months, not regularly. So, you have to promise me that you won't have junk food regularly, and you will try to give it up."
The special school campaign, Meet the Champions, is jointly being organized by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. In the coming months, we will see our Olympic and Paralympic heroes visit various schools across the country, and interact with students in a similar fashion. During their visit, the athletes will share their own experiences, life lessons, tips on how to eat right and also give an overall inspirational boost to school children.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
SAFETY AUDIT FOR HIGH RISE BUILDINGS
Urban planning is a State subject and safety audit of high rise buildings is regulated by specific Building Bye-laws/Development Control Regulations of the respective State or City. However, for their guidance, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs hasissued Model Building Bye Laws 2016 which incorporate provisions for high rise development and structural safety. Further, National Building Code, 2016, a guiding document, brought out by Bureau of Indian Standards, also includes chapters on structural design and Construction Management, Practices and Safety.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs, Shri Kaushal Kishore, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves the revised Air Services Agreement with Malaysia
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the revised Air Services Agreement  with Malaysia.
The revised text of ASA was initialed in 2011. However, due to some diversion on Article 13 i.e. related to remittance of earning, the Agreement could not be signed. During the meeting held in ICAN 2016, Malaysian side agreed to revise the text of said article as suggested by M/o Finance, Govt. of India
Features of the Air Services Agreement
• Existing ASA was signed in 1974, hence there is a need to revise, update and modernize the exiting ASA
• Text of existing ASA has been replaced with the new text as per latest ICAO template.
• Cooperative Marketing Arrangement for 3rd country airlines has been added
• Clause on domestic codeshare has been added
• The articles on 'safety and security' have been added in the revised ASA
• The article related to 'intermodal services' have been added in the revised ASA that will permit air passengers and cargo to move through any intermodal transport from any point in the territory of other party.
Ministry of Education
NEP assimilates ancient with the modern and strives to produce well-rounded citizens of the world - Shri Dharmendra Pradhan
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan encourages NIT Surathkal to create a full-fledged Sustainable Energy Department to make the technology institute a leading lighthouse in energy transition
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan addresses 20th Annual Convocation of NITK Surathkal
Union Education and Skill Development Minister, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the 20th Convocation ceremony of NIT Surathkal today.
Speaking about NEP2020, he said that it is the philosophical document of the 21st century that aims to assimilate ancient with the modern and strive to produce well-rounded citizens of the world. He also made a special mention of Swami Vivekananda and his guiding philosophy.
He recalled the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call for "Jai Anusandhan" from his last Independence Day address to the nation. The aim is to place India among developed nation by 2047 when the country celebrates a 100 years of independence from British rule, he added.
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan encouraged NIT Surathkal to create a full-fledged Sustainable Energy Department in order to make the technology institute a leading lighthouse in energy transition of the country within a decade.
Shri Pradhan spoke about the key areas like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, data analytics, electronics, genome editing, 3 D Printing that are the way forward for Industry 4.0. He said that India will play a key role in future development of humanity and restore its glory as a Vishwa-Guru.
During this visit, the Minister inaugurated the newly constructed Central Research Facility  and School of Interdisciplinary Studies [CoEs] building" with a total area of 10,394 square meters and a cost of 48 crores and laid the foundation stone for "Construction of Lecture Hall Complex – Block -D" with the built-up area of 11,246 square meters and a cost of 54.76 crores in the presence of Shri Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, Dakshina Kannada, Dr. Y. Bharath Shetty, MLA, Mangalore North, & Prof. Prasad Krishna, Chairperson- BOG & Director NITK.. The Central Research Facility  is already established with a loan of 80 Crore rupees from the Higher Education Finance Agency  of the Indian government.
This Convocation awarded degrees to a total of 1787 applicants, including 126 Ph.D., 817 PG, and 844 B.Tech candidates. 249 B.Tech students additionally received a Minor in other areas in addition to their B.Tech degrees. NITK awarded B.Tech  degrees for the very first time. In this convocation, nine B.Tech students and thirty PG students earned the Institute Gold medals and medals sponsored by other entities for achieving the best CGPA. Shri Dharmendra Pradhan presented the medals to the NITK graduands.